One-Drink Book Club

The One-Drink Book Club is an informal, (almost) weekly series in which fellow author Emma Lee Jayne joins me and our other creative friends to talk about the life, business, and art of writing and making books … for the duration of one Friday-afternoon drink. Here’s what we talked about in this episode:* Emma and I are finally back in the groove of writing after a long time away … and what the transition back into flow feels like.* Working with editors and soliciting feedback … and ultimately, who are you writing for? * Revising a completed draft and rearranging/adding scenes after the fact … and why the idea of ever doing that gives me (Johnny) chills. * Plotting intuitively vs. overtly* Writing and publishing as you go … sort of like what Sean and I did with Fiction Unboxed back in 2014 (on Kickstarter, before author Kickstarters were cool). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnnybtruant.substack.com

The One-Drink Book Club is an informal, (almost) weekly series in which fellow author Emma Lee Jayne joins me and our other creative friends to talk about the life, business, and art of writing and making books … for the duration of one Friday-afternoon drink. Here’s what we talked about in this episode:* WE RETURN! AGAIN! Remember how on the last episode, we said, “WE RETURN!” and apologized for being gone for two months and then I said, “We’d promise not to do it again, but we absolutely will?” Well, turns out I know us well. So we started the episode by giving updates and talking about how the end of last year was weird. THIS TIME WE’RE ACTUALLY BACK. Maybe.* Bill’s been writing and talked about the elusive “writer’s high,” which Emma and I both said we were working hard to get back, then talked about how hard it is to find that flow state again. Damn you, Bill.* I’m impatient with worldbuilding. I didn’t realize until Emma talked about how long it takes to build worlds. * Why live events are the best kind of book research and business work you can do as an author … kind of like less-shitty focus groups. * We closed with the idea of being stubborn and writing what you want, as opposed to scoping the market and deciding in advance to write something that will sell. It’s all artists up in this motherfucker, so guess which way we leaned on that one? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnnybtruant.substack.com

The One-Drink Book Club is an informal, (almost) weekly series in which fellow author Emma Lee Jayne joins me and our other creative friends to talk about the life, business, and art of writing and making books … for the duration of one Friday-afternoon drink. Here’s what we talked about in this episode:* WE RETURN! Sorry it’s been like 2 months since we recorded last. Life got in the way. We’d promise not to do it again but we absolutely will.* Big creative leaps across the board since our last recording! Mike published his “memoir in verse,” Second Half. Bill’s still writing the story that’s been in his head forever. Emma was absent this week, but … yeah, I’m sure she did stuff, too. * After hearing the all-over-the-place way Bill’s been writing, I couldn’t help but compare it to the COMPLETELY OPPOSITE way that I work, and am currently working with Sean Platt’s and my forthcoming Unicorn Heathens. I have to go from A to Z. Nothing changes orders. Ever. We talked a bit about process linearity, but then dove into …* I’ve gotten into songwriting, in addition to book-writing. The story of why and how is here. But it’s interesting how the two are similar, and how I’m finding myself completely comfortable with writing song lyrics at the same time as I’m brand new and uncomfortable. It’s interesting. * The clip of Bob Schneider talking about the song camp and how awesome I am is on this episode of his podcast with Clint Wells. The interesting part begins at time index 18:15. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnnybtruant.substack.com

The One-Drink Book Club is an informal, (almost) weekly series in which fellow author Emma Lee Jayne joins me and our other creative friends to talk about the life, business, and art of writing and making books … for the duration of one Friday-afternoon drink. Here’s what we talked about in this episode:* I’m currently recording the audiobook of The Artisan Author (check it out here before it ends, if you’re a writer) — stories of recording foibles abound. * Mike and I talked about the nebulous ideas of “the need to express oneself” and “refilling the creative well.” Both sound pretentious … and both are very real.* I shared a “keeping track of the story” metaphor I haven’t talked much about before … that of “raking everything constantly back to the center.” (Stephen King doesn’t rake. He sets off bombs.* And finally, I buried the lede with Mike by casually mentioning my return to the Unicorn Western story world — something I thought he knew, but that was instead an underwhelming announcement. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnnybtruant.substack.com

This week’s episode isn’t actually an episode of the ODBC! I thought I’d share it here, though, because I think faithful One Drink Book Club listeners would enjoy it. Back in the long-long ago, I used to be on one of the first major self-publishing podcasts … early enough, in fact, that we simply called ourselves “The Self Publishing Podcast.” It was me and two fun, irreverent partners: Sean Platt and David Wright. And guys, we had SO MUCH FUN on that show. It wasn’t just us, either; it was the audience that made it fun as well. We had a great community … and doing the Kickstarter for The Artisan Author (which is still going for just a bit longer, by the way) got me thinking about that old show and community. So I pitched Sean and Dave on doing a single “reunion episode of SPP” … and this is it. OH! And if you’d prefer the video version of this show, it’s here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnnybtruant.substack.com

The One-Drink Book Club is an informal, (almost) weekly series in which fellow author Emma Lee Jayne joins me and our other creative friends to talk about the life, business, and art of writing and making books … for the duration of one Friday-afternoon drink. Here’s what we talked about in this episode:* We opened by talking about my thinking about the “college” portion of my current Kickstarter campaign for The Artisan Author. The short version is that college is cool and we should all watch more 80s movies about it. (Or, rather, the short version is that you should check it out here before it ends, if you happen to be a writer.) * Do kids still read? If yes, how and how much do they read? And do they (as well as adults, really) take IDENTITY from their reading? * Bill took us down a weird rabbit hole wherein he’s reading only parts of his favorite book out of order … and how the dissection ruined it, but not for the reasons that sound obvious as you read this sentence. * Which led to a fascinating chat about how all kinds of art are collaborative, meaning that the creator can’t control at least half of the experience … which depends on what the reader/observer/listener/consumer brings to that art. This one was such a cool thread that it will be our topic for next time! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnnybtruant.substack.com

The One-Drink Book Club is an informal, (almost) weekly series in which fellow author Emma Lee Jayne joins me and our other creative friends to talk about the life, business, and art of writing and making books … for the duration of one Friday-afternoon drink. Here’s what we talked about in this episode:* Mike, who just finished a poetry book he’s been working on, said he didn’t feel excitement or happiness on finishing … just sort of done. We talked about the “finishing the project” vibes and the oddity of it, seeing as I feel the same. * Reliving the writing and editing of my very first book (The Bialy Pimps), I regaled the others with stories of how self-indulgent the first draft was, and how I fixed it.* When is it true that theres’s “too much of the author in a book,” and how can you tell? * I then dropped a BIG OL’ BTS EXCLUSIVE: A story about The Bialy Pimps’s early draft and exactly what I removed because it was so personal, it made for terrible reading. You’ll hear a scoop I’ve literally never shared before, about those early drafts, what I cut from them, and the true of this particular writer’s earliest working days. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnnybtruant.substack.com

The One-Drink Book Club is an informal, (almost) weekly series in which fellow author Emma Lee Jayne joins me and our other creative friends to talk about the life, business, and art of writing and making books … for the duration of one Friday-afternoon drink. Here’s what we talked about in this episode:* We have our first guest, despite the fact that we don’t have guests on the show. Actually, we just expanded outward from the four of us who usually host ODBC from the local wine night group and this time included Bill’s wife Paula. (My wife will never come on. Sorry. She’s the opposite of into it.)* We talked about how there are sometimes “seasons” for writers, and how it can be best to accept sometimes that you’ll be able to write and sometimes your attention should go elsewhere. (Teaser: Paula actually had a whole line of questions on this one that we talked about afterward and will definitely be discussing the next time she’s on. * Then we talked bout the local book club and how terrified I am to have my book read by it. Also: What’s the function of book clubs? Is it really mostly about the wine? * What’s this phenomenon of “reading the same book over and over” about? Bill and I equated it to the no-bullshit way we watch some TV shows. * Everyone shared how they read differently as writers … or as regular listeners of the ODBC. What do you notice? What gets spoiled?* Finally, we talked about a favorite geek-out topic of mine: the fine balance as a writer between sharing just enough information so that you’re being honest with a reader, while still subtly misdirecting them so they’ll be surprised by a twist or shock ending. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnnybtruant.substack.com

The One-Drink Book Club is an informal, (almost) weekly series in which fellow author Emma Lee Jayne joins me and our other creative friends to talk about the life, business, and art of writing and making books … for the duration of one Friday-afternoon drink. Here’s what we talked about in this episode:* We began with a rousing discussion of writing techniques that annoy Bill, several of which I’ve definitely done. We then espoused our own annoyances, which made us all look like judgmental fuckers. Like: Excessive cliffhangers, too many short chapters, shocking openings, dialogue that would never make sense in the real world, too many adverbs, and the ever-popular practice of head-hopping. * We then pivoted to what sounds like a super geeky discussion but was actually sort of fascinating: the strengths and value of various point-of-view/tense styles. Which style do you like best, and why? * I told my famous “em dash” story. Which wasn’t actually famous at all.* Emma then asked everyone a question about selling content that she’s also using for a lead magnet to get people onto her email list. Is a bonus story worth 99 cents? (HINT: I said yes. It’s 99 fucking cents, people.)* We then spent the final three of the show with a rousing and sort of profound and existential discussion about whether or not genre writing is noble - whether we’ll be remembered after we’re gone as having made a difference. What do you think — is only Literature-with-a-capital-L helping to change the world? Or is it instead pretentious bullshit and we, the genre writers, are this world’s real heroes? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnnybtruant.substack.com

The One-Drink Book Club is an informal, (almost) weekly series in which fellow author Emma Lee Jayne joins me and our other creative friends to talk about the life, business, and art of writing and making books … for the duration of one Friday-afternoon drink. Here’s what we talked about in this episode:* Why am I bothering to make bullet points? The entire episode was about the Artisan Author philosophy, and how that avenue might be the best (or only) option left for quality-and-art-minded authors to truly stand out. But it was a good chat. Really one for the ages. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnnybtruant.substack.com

The One-Drink Book Club is an informal, (almost) weekly series in which fellow author Emma Lee Jayne joins me and our other creative friends to talk about the life, business, and art of writing and making books … for the duration of one Friday-afternoon drink. Here’s what we talked about in this episode:* I selfishly announced my new project — The Artisan Author book — which you can sign up to be notified about at JohnnyBTruant.com/Artisan* What does success mean to different writers? It’s more than a Tony Robbins exercise. The difference actually matters. * Fighting subconscious ego demands … which might actually serve to take you AWAY from whatever real “success” you actually want. * The mindset shift for live selling: “I’m pathetic standing here alone” versus “This is/isn’t what I expected in advance.” * Mike asked how to get started on the Artisan path, for his eldest kid. * My response in a nutshell: Be yourself. That’s trite but the real differentiator, because “normal” is an illusion … and if you’re yourself, you are exactly what a group of disenfranchised weirdoes has been looking for (and I say “weirdoes” affectionately). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnnybtruant.substack.com

The One-Drink Book Club is an informal, (almost) weekly series in which fellow author Emma Lee Jayne joins me and our other creative friends to talk about the life, business, and art of writing and making books … for the duration of one Friday-afternoon drink. Here’s what we talked about in this episode:* As it was just me and Bill this time, we went deep on a geeky discussion prompted by Bill reading an afterword to one of Alistair Reynolds’s books. Bill was super prepared this time with tons of questions, kids!* We talked about how writers (or at least I) deal with complicated worlds — making sure to keep all the facts straight over time. * Why Emma’s concept of “Schrödinger’s Parents” applies to worldbuilding and timelines, too. * Now that I’m about to start a BRAND SPANKIN NEW project with Sean, Bill also asked about worldbuilding and beats (Sean’s part of the equation) and how it meshes with my part (the writing itself). * We ended with a long and multi-faceted chat about whether or not it’s important to follow your own internal story rules (yes, absolutely essential) and how I handle it … especially when those restrictions create difficult situations that I then need to write my way through (hint: This is where the real magic is). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnnybtruant.substack.com

The One-Drink Book Club is an informal, (almost) weekly series in which fellow author Emma Lee Jayne joins me and our other creative friends to talk about the life, business, and art of writing and making books … for the duration of one Friday-afternoon drink. Here’s what we talked about in this episode:* We each gave updates to last month’s writer’s block quagmire, talking about how each of us has chosen to address our individual issues — Emma by stepping back to organize the pieces and me by “getting the band back together” with Sean Platt.* After Emma talked about all the paperbacks she used to have of her books in a zillion different translated languages, we discussed how myopic the indie author community tends to be, focusing only on a tiny slice from the big pie of all readers … and how if we just expand our thinking, we see abundance rather than the usual “the sky is falling” sentiments so common in our profession. * After describing how hard I tried to get scammed by a fake comic con organizer, I talked a bit about finding real comic cons and stepping into those waters as an author instead. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnnybtruant.substack.com

The One-Drink Book Club is an informal, (almost) weekly series in which fellow author Emma Lee Jayne joins me and our other creative friends to talk about the life, business, and art of writing and making books … for the duration of one Friday-afternoon drink. Here’s what we talked about in this episode:* We started off by giving updates on the last writer’s block episode, which a lot of people seemed to enjoy and take value from. Specifically, I shared a realization about my process that I’m hoping will break me through a current slow point.* I’ve just finished re-reading my own Gore Point series and shared how unabashedly pleased I was with it, particularly since I’d forgotten the story since writing it. We talked about the discovery process and what it’s like to re-experience your own stuff as a reader. * The conversation then shifted to “ALL ABOUT AUDIOBOOKS.” Topic covered were changing narrators in the middle of a series, “doing voices” for characters vs. neutral narration voice, taking artistic liberties, and more. * I shared some recent realizations: that there are big groups of readers out there that few authors are reaching because they don’t overlap with the audiences they focus on, like Kindle-only readers. * We finished by talking a bit about the idea of concept art to go with what’s in a book … and the fact that I, as the writer of my own books, couldn’t tell you what most of the things in those books look like to make art in the first place. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnnybtruant.substack.com

The One-Drink Book Club is an informal, (almost) weekly series in which fellow author Emma Lee Jayne joins me and our other creative friends to talk about the life, business, and art of writing and making books … for the duration of one Friday-afternoon drink. Here’s what we talked about in this episode:We really just hit one topic today, but we hit it well, thoroughly, and from a hundred angles: What happens when writing doesn’t come in the way it should, or that you want it to? What happens when you’re blocked, and you don’t know what to do about it? Emma and I are both going through our own version of the shit, and we unpack it all in this big, juicy episode. Let us know what you think in the comments! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnnybtruant.substack.com

The One-Drink Book Club is an informal, (almost) weekly series in which fellow author Emma Lee Jayne joins me and our other creative friends to talk about the life, business, and art of writing and making books … for the duration of one Friday-afternoon drink. Here’s what we talked about in this episode:* Emma returned triumphantly after months away … but only for the first 20 minutes. She opened a really interesting and seldom-talked-about topic: The fact that sometimes things really suck as a writer … and here’s how we deal. (NOTE: We’ll unpack this issue more next week if people are interested … so, you know, let us know if you are.) * We talked a bit about backlist and advertising, and standing up for the books we’ve already written. * Then a bit about imposter syndrome, being vulnerable, and more of that downer stuff. (Writing can be awesome, but it’s not always sunshine and roses, people!* After Emma had to leave, Bill and I talked about “the writer’s unique fingerprint” — how repeated words and standard “safe home base” scenes become an individual writer’s DNA, so that readers can easily recognize their favorite writers’ style. * Lastly, we talked about telling stories in person. Do good verbal storytellers make good writers, and what do you do when your best verbal stories just kind of stop landing like they used to? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnnybtruant.substack.com

The One-Drink Book Club is an informal, (almost) weekly series in which fellow author Emma Lee Jayne joins me and our other creative friends to talk about the life, business, and art of writing and making books … for the duration of one Friday-afternoon drink. Here’s what we talked about in this episode:* Bill showed-and-told (there’s no good verb for “show and tell”) some of his old books from his collection, and talked about the special place they have in his life and home.* Spinning off of this, I shared a strange revelation: Now that I’m selling my books in person, I feel like “a real author” in ways I never have before. After a dozen years in this business, only now — with physical books in hand and real readers in front of me — do I truly feel like I belong here. * We talked about “writing and seeing where it goes” versus plotting (Bill’s current dilemma). * And finally we talked about writing things you aren’t an expert in and how to avoid looking like an asshole by getting things wrong … which led me to one of my favorite writerly topics: Getting some obvious facts right as a way of buying yourself the leeway you need to flat-out invent fantastical things to follow. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnnybtruant.substack.com

The One-Drink Book Club is an informal, (almost) weekly series in which fellow author Emma Lee Jayne joins me and our other creative friends to talk about the life, business, and art of writing and making books … for the duration of one Friday-afternoon drink. Here’s what we talked about in this episode:* Reading order: do you read in publishing order, chronological order, the order books were written, or some other order? * Are we attached to the characters in a series or the world itself? (Watch for the place in this one where I say “The Beam” when I clearly meant “Dune.” Did you know what a great series The Beam is, according to me in this episode?)* How sequels to a book can ruin a book you loved … and the different ways we deal with it.* Who also wrote romance despite being known for writing some other famous genre? * The different motivations of various writers and matching what they deliver with what readers actually expect … which became an AI and James Pattern sort of discussion. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnnybtruant.substack.com

The One-Drink Book Club is an informal, (almost) weekly series in which fellow author Emma Lee Jayne joins me and our other creative friends to talk about the life, business, and art of writing and making books … for the duration of one Friday-afternoon drink. Here’s what we talked about in this episode:* With Emma and I fresh from our Las Vegas trip to the Author Nation conference (and the RAVE bookselling event at its end), we started off by talking about Emma’s new branding, which she lined up in advance of Vegas.* This led to a discussion of judging books by their covers … which, by the way, everyone actually does. * We talked about selling books in person, and the unique eccentricities of that market. * I shared how well-received my “Artisan Author” talk was, making us feel that artistry isn’t dead. * We shared our experiences hand-selling books …* … and Bill followed up by asking if we “partook” of Vegas too much, or if we saw other people who did. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnnybtruant.substack.com

The One-Drink Book Club is an informal, (almost) weekly series in which fellow author Emma Lee Jayne joins me and our other creative friends to talk about the life, business, and art of writing and making books … for the duration of one Friday-afternoon drink. Here’s what we talked about in this episode:* After a looooong time away from the first-draft page, I finished my first book in forever today. I talked about how that felt and what I had to re-learn to do it … and asked the crew whether or not I should “celebrate its completion” like Stephen King talks about doing.* We talked about tense and voice of prose: first versus third-person narratives, as well as past tense versus present tense. We had a great discussion about suiting the style of narration to the book in question.* On the topic of following “the rules implied by a certain style of or device for writing,” we talked about my old phrase “put a unicorn in it,” which bridges the at-some-point decision writers need to make about how much they want to follow the rules vs. how much they want the reader to actually understand the story. * Most of the remainder of our chat today was consumed with talking about our preparations and excitement to hand-sell books in person at the RAVE book event in Vegas two weeks from when we were recording. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnnybtruant.substack.com